Lost memories: Where trees exist only in name ……..Simit Bhagat
Mumbai: It was the tamarind tree that gave Tamarind Lane in Fort its identity.Today,the busy lane is lined with brick and sandstone buildings that date back to the Raj,but the stately trees live only in the streets name.Across Mumbai,avenues,roads and lanes bear the names of local trees that once provided shade to residents,a reminder of a bygone age.
Laburnum Road in Grant Road,for instance,was named after the Indian Laburnum;but while the road clings on to other varieties of trees,the original inhabitants are nowhere to be found.Mumbaikars will also find it difficult to locate Phanas or Jackfruit trees in Phanaswadi at Kalbadevi.
Dr Ashok Kothari,author and an expert on trees says,Over the years,I have seen the relevant trees vanishing from different areas.It is unfortunate that not a single Laburnum tree can be found on Laburnum Road today.Its a similar story with the beautiful lotus (kamal) groves and tamarind trees that once grew in Cumballa Hill and Chinchpokli respectively. Their demise,says Kothari,was a recent tragedy.
Whats interesting about streets names is that they paint a vivid picture of what Mumbai,then Bombay,once was.And nothing can be more dramatic than Bhendi Bazaar.Botanists believe that there was a time when the now-congested area housed plantations of Portia trees or Thespesia populnea,locally known as the Bhendi.Byculla,too,can trace its roots to two words: bhaava (Indian Laburnum) and khala (ground).
The trees have been wiped out from these areas,and we have lost a part of our history that can never be got back again, said Dr Kothari.
According to historians,prominent landmarks were often named after the trees that lined the roads,like in the case of Wadala,after the Banyan trees that flourished in the area.
Banyans were locally called vad or wad,and historians believe that even Worli was named after them.Worli was actually named after a row of Banyan trees.The true name is Vad-ali or Banyan Row.But over generations,people started replacing the d with r,calling the place Varli or Worli, said one historian.
Botanist Dr Marselin Almedia says,Right from the British era,several important landmarks in the city were named after trees.But today,however,there is no logic or local relevance in the way our roads are being named.
Vanishing Green Cover
Indian Laburnum (Cassia fistula): Locally called Bahava,the tree is planted for ornamental value.In Mumbai,its flowering period is from April-June to August.
Gulmohar (Delonix regia): Known as the Flamboyant Tree,it was brought to India from Madagascar,where it is actually called Flamboyant.Due to its shallow root system,it is an easy victim of monsoon storms.
Banyan Tree (Ficus bengalensis): The name,benghalensis,indicates that it is a native of Bengal.It is also known as Wad in Marathi
Tamarind Tree (Pithecellobium dulce): Called Vilayati Chinch,it was originally found in the tropical forests of America.
Bhendi / Portia Tree (Thespesia populnea): It is also known as the umbrella tree and Parsacha Jhada in Marathi.According to local lore,it is believed to have medicinal value.